Cuban's edge ? not about words

Published 12:00 am, Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Mark Cuban was as efficient as Dirk Nowitzki at the free-throw line. With one, simple quote, he got the attention he wanted.

“I hate the Spurs,” he said Tuesday, and headlines followed.

That's Cuban. He's always sold this rivalry as if it were wrestling, and the hated Spurs likely love the Cuban marketing technique. They need to make money, too.

But it's what Cuban does when he's spending money that means more. Only this year did the Spurs stretch far beyond the salary cap and, given the results, they likely won't stretch ever again. Yet Cuban remains a passionate billionaire willing to trade an expensive piece for two or three more until he gets it right.

Cuban acts as if he has. He announced his opinion Tuesday with as little anger as a hateful remark can have. He said his awful feeling for the Spurs is out of respect, which, for Cuban, is as touchy-feely about an opponent as he gets.

Cuban isn't as cheerful when he's losing, and last year's elimination of the Spurs outlines that. He didn't do much of anything then except in the one game the Spurs won. Then, he punched a water cooler.

When Cuban isn't as sure of his place in a series, the hate is more real than calculating. His Tim Duncan-baiting, river-slamming spiel during the 2006 playoffs was about promotions. But he also cursed at Bruce Bowen at the end of a game and generally acted like a drunken frat boy all the way to the Finals in Miami.

This side of Cuban still exists. A year ago, against Denver, Cuban said a few things to Kenyon Martin's mother that required an apology.

But that's just the sideshow of someone who prances with the stars. When more serious, Cuban is forward thinking and connecting dots on everything from HDNet to a new development in South Dallas.

His opinion of the future of newspapers, for example, has been something the industry should read. After all, he already knows how to sell newspapers.

Cuban has operated his franchise similarly. Like him or not, he changed the Mavericks nearly from the day he bought them, and sometimes he has the touch of Midas in a T-shirt. Such a moment came a little more than a year ago.

Then, after watching a listless loss to the Thunder, Cuban did what he'd never done before or since. He threatened his players.

“The effort and energy, on both sides of the ball, by each player,” he said then, “will decide their future with the Mavericks.”

In their next game, coincidentally against the Spurs, the Mavericks won and turned around their season.

His fortune, though, is what gives Dallas its edge. Cuban has spent freely for years, and sometimes he hasn't gotten much for his money. He was paying Michael Finley, for example, when Finley was winning a title in San Antonio.

But here's the power of Cuban: He keeps swinging. He'll gamble on Jason Kidd, and he'll agree to pay an aging Shawn Marion through 2014. And if that doesn't work, he will open up his wallet and try something else.

This year's acquisition of Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson was his latest attempt. Cuban didn't take on much more salary this season in the deal, adding about $2 million to the second-highest payroll in the league.

Still, there's the promise Cuban will eventually take on more. He will want to re-sign Haywood. And with that done, don't be surprised if he trades Erick Dampier's $13 million non-guaranteed contract for another one as large.

This is the part of Cuban that matters in this series, and has for years. His talk, comparatively, has been cheap.